


My New Home

by LilacMist



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Some Backstory, Some angst, post verdant wind but not everyone was recruited, silent reassurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24158107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacMist/pseuds/LilacMist
Summary: Caspar and Hilda enter Old Adrestia on their travels and have to reflect on what was lost.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	My New Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roxyryoko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxyryoko/gifts).



> i see now that my brand is mourning over the death of other characters...... i see how it is  
> hello hilspar clan. i present you a meal. there is significantly less banter than one would expect

Darkness covers Fódlan like a thick winter blanket, leaving only the stars to guide two eager travelers across the wooded path. "D'ya think we should set up camp soon?" Caspar asks his companion, shifting his shoulders to adjust the knapsack hanging from his back.

Hilda looks up at the sky, face twisted in thought, and then shrugs. "Don't know. I could go for a little while longer, if you're doing okay."

He nods and then laughs. "We did sleep pretty late this morning. We woke up at what, noon?"

It's Hilda's turn to laugh. "Something like that. I was pretty tired." A comfortable quiet follows; fallen leaves crunching underneath their boots and the occasional owl's hoot are the only sounds to be heard. Hilda doesn't mind one bit. She had realized back when they were at Garreg Mach that Caspar is fun to be around, even without idle chatter. They had spent many days together doing nothing productive, and those moments together were some of Hilda's most treasured memories. Laying down backwards on her bed and watching Caspar build a tower of the schoolbooks they rarely used, throwing stones into the fishing pond when there was a strange light shining from it, aimlessly running her fingers through his hair as they stared up at the bright afternoon sky... When Caspar proposed journeying around Fódlan together, there was no way Hilda could refuse.

They have been traveling together for months, now. Four? Five? She's not sure of an exact number, and that's a good thing. Going with the flow and letting the adventure pull them wherever it pleases was exactly what the two of them wanted. They have a map of the continent, but they rarely use it. Instead, they look to the sun and stars for direction and follow rivers to find settlements and towns with supplies. When they find themselves away from civilization for longer than anticipated, they use survival skills they had learned during the war and live off of the land. The Hilda that enrolled in the Officer's Academy would never have accepted something so gritty, but she had changed since then. She discovered that living a life where she does not have to keep up appearances is liberating.

"Hey, look!" Caspar's voice pulls Hilda from her thoughts. "Smoke! Town must be up ahead."

A warm bath and a cute new shirt sound nice, though.

"It still looks kind of far off," Hilda says, setting her pack down and pulling out her bedroll. "One more night under the stars, and then I'm ordering the most expensive meal from the tavern!"

"I think we're in Old Adrestia, now," Caspar says, arranging the leaves to separate them from the cold ground underneath. "Hope you're looking forward to Gronder-style meat skewers."

"Ew," Hilda says out of habit, laying down and staring up at the sky. "I guess you can eat mine, then." She hears leaves rustle and turns her head just enough to see Caspar lay down beside her. "Are you going to be okay?" she asks quietly.

He doesn't say anything at first--just stares up at the sky like she had been doing. "It doesn't feel like home anymore, if that's what you mean," he finally mumbles. "My family's still in charge of the territory I guess, but it's not the same. You know, without..." he takes a shaky breath, "...everyone."

Fallen friends have come up occasionally, and Hilda never tried to claim she understood what Caspar felt. She had only made tea with Ferdinand once or twice, and watching him topple off his horse at Myrddin was enough to haunt her in her sleep. Caspar on the other hand...

He lost his best friend.

"I didn't know him very well," Hilda admits, rolling over and letting her hand rest reassuringly on Caspar's. "But he would be glad you're living your life like you want, I think."

He takes her hand in his and squeezes it so tightly, it starts to ache, but she doesn't say anything. "We had talked about doing this. Him and me. Traveling across Fódlan without a care in the world." Caspar continues to stare up at the stars. "He was the best part of home. It would feel wrong without him."

Hilda scoots closer and drapes her arm over his torso. His chest rises and falls with arrhythmic breaths, and she doesn't say anything more. He needs time to process his thoughts. His grief. Suddenly, Caspar wraps his arms around her and crushes her against his chest.

"You're my new home, Hilda. You know that, right?" he asks with a strained voice, holding back a sob.

She nods immediately, giving him the comfort he needs while she pieces her words together.

"This--getting to go around Fódlan with you--this is more like home than my dad's old piece of land."

She nods again and shifts to wind her arms behind his back. "Yeah," is all Hilda has to say in return.

Caspar holds her until he falls asleep, and she is soon to follow. By the time they wake up, they are all smiles, ready to tackle the journey to the town up ahead. That's just how they are. When Caspar challenges the beefy tavern owner to a sparring match, Hilda cheers. When she spends more than she should on a scarf she likes, he sighs and tells the inkeeper that they'll only be staying for one night. When Hilda wakes up thrashing after a nightmare about war, Caspar holds her in silence until she's ready to talk about it. When they enter the Bergliez territory, they avoid Gronder altogether.

When the past tries to haunt them, to taunt them over the lost, they clasp hands and remind it that it has no hold on them.


End file.
